Sue James

Stories, Reflections & Journeys

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What is Success?

Filed Under: Reflections · February 27, 2012 · Leave a Comment ·

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson

In a recent post for our BJ Seminars International blog, The Sky is Falling, I finished with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

This reminded me of another piece, attributed to Emerson, entitled “Success”. I remember being inspired by it many years ago, so searched for it again. You may also have come across it in your travels:

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others,
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
A garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

But you may imagine my surprise, when searching on the web for these words, to learn that Emerson is not in fact the author!

[Read more…]

The Storyteller

Filed Under: Journeys, Reflections, Resources, Stories · February 18, 2010 · 2 Comments ·

Unshaved, unkempt,
black nails, black teeth
and an old, tattered coat.
You’d dismiss him as derelict
and walk straight past.
Yet when he spoke
eagles soared,
mountains talked
and I glimpsed infinity.
“I’m a storyteller”
he said.
His stories wove spells
of dreaming and meaning.
The universe expanded,
and I felt for a moment
that I touched its limits.
Derelict,
Storyteller,
Spellbinder …
The essence of truth
lies perhaps in all three.

From Quiet Homes …

Filed Under: Featured, Reflections · February 11, 2010 · Leave a Comment ·

“From quiet homes and first beginning,
out to the undiscovered ends,
there’s nothing worth the wear of winning,
but laughter and the love of friends.”

Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953, British author)

A lovely quote, rediscovered when going through a pile of papers in my office.

And from my perspective, a great reminder about the really important things in life! :)

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Books I’ve Read

Sue's bookshelf: read

The Chase
3 of 5 stars
The Chase
by Janet Evanovich
The Heist
3 of 5 stars
The Heist
by Janet Evanovich
Vanish in Plain Sight
3 of 5 stars
Vanish in Plain Sight
by Marta Perry
Eat Me
4 of 5 stars
Eat Me
by Agnès Desarthe
Odd One Out
3 of 5 stars
Odd One Out
by Monica McInerney

goodreads.com